Job summary
To ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality psychology service to service users referred to the Integrated Community Forensic Learning Disability Team.
This team is part of an initiative from the recently formed NHS East of England Provider Collaborative's plans for accelerated transformation in forensic learning disability services with a focus on improving continuity of care for patients.
The expectation is that this approach will not only lead to reductions in length of hospitalization for patients within forensic learning disability units, but also minimize the need for in-patient admissions. The Integrated Community Forensic Learning Disability Team will build upon the success of our existing Outstanding CQC rated forensic services. The Integrated Community Forensic Learning Disability Team will have multi-disciplinary participation and there will be on call arrangements to cover out of hours. It will have a stepped service offer which includes:
Training packages on a range of forensic learning disability specialist issues.
Consultancy and advice to community learning disability teams and in-patient units regarding patients and service users who present with 'forensic' or 'forensic like' behaviours and treatment needs.
A range of community-based therapeutic and offence specific interventions.
This post can also be offered as a band 7 - 8a Development Post
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will provide specialist support, guidance and consultation on clients' psychological care in relation to risk and offending to other multi-disciplinary professionals.
The post-holder will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for groups and individuals.
Provide specialist advice to all referrers and associated staff.
Develop and provide training on varied topics and psychological aspects of the support needs of people with learning disabilities and offending behaviours.
Supervise Assistant Psychologists.
Carry out appropriate risk assessments and develop risk management procedures embedding evidence based psychological best practice for individual clients and to provide general advice to other professionals.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an exceptional organisation with big ambitions. Our aim is to provide high quality care and achieve great outcomes with and for the people and communities we serve, and in doing so demonstrate we are the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
With a workforce of over 4,000 people and an annual income of some £380 million, the Trust provides integrated health and social care services through a network of community and inpatient settings, serving diverse communities across Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk.
As a University NHS Foundation Trust, HPFT continues to develop strong links with the University of Hertfordshire, providing excellent learning and development opportunities, as well as strengthening our clinical research capability.
There has never been a more exciting time to join HPFT; we are proud to be rated as Outstanding by the CQC and that our staff would recommend us as a place to work and be happy with the standard of our care if a loved one needed it.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to the team, based upon the appropriate use, analysis, interpretation and integration of highly complex psychological data from a variety of sources including: psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care.
2. To be responsible for formulation and implementation of complex plans for formal psychological treatment and/or management of service users mental health/developmental disability/behavioural problems/criminal offending behaviours, based on an appropriate conceptual framework of the problems and employing methods of evidence-based efficacy across the full range of care settings.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups based on formulations and drawing on different explanatory psychological models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options and any adjustment to plans, as treatment progresses, taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, developmental processes, which have shaped the individual, family or group.
exercise autonomous professional responsibility for psychological assessment, treatment and discharge of service users, communicating with the referral agent and others involved in their care on a regular basis.
6. To take the lead on providing specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to colleagues in the team, carers from the public, private and voluntary sector and families, as well as Courts and solicitors.
7. To ensure members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding the care of service users through provision of advice and consultation and dissemination of psychological research and theory. To advise, support and facilitate effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.
8. To undertake risk assessment and management of individual service users especially in relation to offending behaviour on behalf of the team and to provide advice for other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
9. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning assessment, formulation and treatment plans and to monitor and evaluate progress.
10. To act as care co-ordinator, when required, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the service users needs, coordinating the work of others involved with care, taking responsibility for arranging CPA reviews as required and communicating effectively with the service user, his/her family and all others involved in the network of care and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary interventions.
11. To be responsible for the development of a specialist area of psychological interest and service in agreement with the Consultant Psychologist and according to service priorities.
12. To maintain timely and accurate record keeping in line with professional guidelines and provide reports to the Court and Mental Health Tribunals
Person Specification
Training
Essential
1. HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist
Desirable
2. Further post-qualification training in a therapeutic approach
Experience
Essential
3. Previous Experience of working with people with a learning disability
4. Previous Experience of working in a forensic setting.
5. Experience of providing supervision to other psychologists
Desirable
6. Experience in administering a range of forensic risk assessments
7. Experience of facilitating case consultations
8. Experience of providing training to others